Global Flood: I Survive on Duckweed

"Boss, are you saying the fruit of this tree is poisonous?" Lu Jiamei asked, taking half a step back.

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly.

Xin Wan also took a step back. "Shouldn’t we get this tree far away from here immediately?!"

Seeing how excited Ren Yuanyang was, she and Xin Wan had both thought it was a large tree that could provide food, never expecting it to be poisonous!

Qin Haonan was completely stunned for a moment, then he hurriedly said, "Boss, I’ll haul it away right now!"

"What’s the rush!" Ren Yuanyang stopped him. "I only said the tree is toxic, not that it’s useless!"

"What use is a poisonous tree to us? To use against enemies?" Qin Haonan was stunned again.

Ren Yuanyang smiled and explained, "The tree you found is called a Diesel Tree."

"A Diesel Tree?" Lu Jiamei and the other two stared blankly.

"You’re not going to say this tree can produce diesel, are you?!" Lu Jiamei asked, her eyes wide.

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "That’s right."

Xin Wan confirmed again, "Can the diesel it produces be used directly?"

"Under normal circumstances, it would probably need to be processed," Ren Yuanyang replied with a smile.

Although he didn’t elaborate, Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan already understood what he meant. After he enhanced it, it could most likely be used directly!

"That’s great!" Xin Wan exclaimed excitedly. "Our speedboat can finally get moving!"

Only then did the still-stunned Qin Haonan finally ask, "There are trees that can produce diesel?"

"There are ones for gasoline, so why not for diesel?" Lu Jiamei retorted with a smile.

Qin Haonan frowned slightly. "You mean our gasoline also comes from a plant?"

Ren Yuanyang nodded and pointed to the Iron Melon Tree nearby. "The gasoline is produced by the Iron Melon Tree. That’s the one growing next to the shipping container."

"Wait, you’re saying that’s a shipping container?!" Qin Haonan felt like he was completely in the dark.

"Yes. The panels on the outside are just camouflage. We were worried people would notice how strange our setup is!" Having obtained a Diesel Tree, Ren Yuanyang was in a great mood and explained with a smile.

"But how can a shipping container float on water?" It sounded like a fantasy to Qin Haonan. Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration and immediately asked, "Boss, are you a Gold-Type Evolver?"

Ren Yuanyang was a little speechless. "Figure it out yourself. For now, pull this tree over to the shipping container!"

Qin Haonan felt he must have guessed correctly. With a look of sudden realization, he immediately followed Ren Yuanyang’s order and dragged the tree to the side of the shipping container.

Ren Yuanyang stood on top of the shipping container and grabbed a branch of the Diesel Tree.

[Discovered Evolved Diesel Tree. Enhance?]

Seeing this system prompt, Ren Yuanyang was completely stunned.

’How is this different from the previous prompts?’ Ren Yuanyang was incredibly surprised.

[Previously, you were not touching the Diesel Tree and could only make a judgment by sight. The information may have been imprecise. After you can project your Mental Energy, you will be able to obtain more accurate information through visual inspection...]

Ren Yuanyang had a moment of sudden realization, then he happily asked, ’Since it’s already an evolved Diesel Tree, doesn’t that save me the Mental Energy I would have spent enhancing it?’

[If it already meets your requirements, then yes. However, if you wish to enhance a specific aspect, it will consume even more Mental Energy!]

Ren Yuanyang paused for a moment, then nodded helplessly.

He checked the information on this evolved Diesel Tree and found that its growth speed was doubled and the oil content of its fruit was increased to 70%!

The other parameters were basically the same as before.

Ren Yuanyang glanced at the enhancement options and thought, ’I still need to enhance the oil quality.’

’As long as the oil quality is enhanced, the biodiesel pressed from the fruit can be used directly in a diesel engine!’

’But this Diesel Tree is huge. My Mental Energy is probably not enough to enhance it.’

With this in mind, Ren Yuanyang continued to ask internally, ’Is my current Mental Energy sufficient to enhance the oil quality?’

[Insufficient Mental Energy. Unable to enhance.]

’How much more do I need?’

[Current Mental Energy strength has reached 6.2 meters (measured by the radius of Duckweed buoyancy that can be enhanced at once). 8 meters are required. At the current rate of improvement, this can be achieved within two days.]

Seeing this prompt, Ren Yuanyang felt a bit helpless, but for now, all he could do was wait.

"Boss, why isn’t it standing up yet?" Lu Jiamei asked curiously from the side.

The Iron Melon Trees were all able to stand upright in the water after being enhanced, so why was this one not doing anything?

"Sigh. The will is there, but the power is not," Ren Yuanyang lamented.

Lu Jiamei paused, slightly taken aback. "Not enough Mental Energy again?"

Ren Yuanyang nodded. "Yeah. We’ll have to wait."

Back inside the shipping container, he continued to enhance the kiwifruit seedling.

[Kiwifruit Seedling (+9): Growth Speed enhanced six times, reaches maturity in 5 days. Fruiting enhanced three times, period from flowering to ripening shortened to 20 days.]

’Twenty days is still too long. I have to keep enhancing it!’ Ren Yuanyang thought, and proceeded to do so.

[Further enhancement is not recommended. With the Host’s current mental strength, a single target can be enhanced a maximum of nine times.]

Seeing this system prompt, Ren Yuanyang was stunned once again.

’There’s a limit like this?’

[Each enhancement requires the use of Mental Energy to modify the plant. With each additional enhancement, the complexity of the modification increases exponentially. Before your Mental Energy is strong enough, rashly exceeding nine enhancements will cause the plant to collapse. Once the Host’s Mental Energy can be projected, this limit will be lifted. If the Host insists on enhancing, you may try. Continue enhancement?]

"Then never mind!" Ren Yuanyang immediately shook his head and refused. He had no desire to destroy the plants he had worked so hard to obtain!

’Looks like I’ll need to balance my enhancement choices in the future!’

’In the end, it’s all because my Mental Energy isn’t strong enough!’

’If I could become an Evolver, would I be able to project my Mental Energy?’

’But Evolvers are one-in-a-million lucky souls, and it seems I’m not one of them yet.’

Ren Yuanyang shook his head and set the kiwifruit seedling aside. He would give it a little water now and then, just enough to keep it from dying. He’d continue enhancing it after his Mental Energy had increased!

’Even if I plant it now, it would be at least twenty-five days before I can harvest kiwis. That’s too long. Better to wait. Maybe my Mental Energy will increase quickly!’

Ren Yuanyang picked up a nearby potato and, looking at the "second enhancement" in the system prompt, muttered, "So the (+2) in parentheses is to remind me of the nine-enhancement limit. Once I can project my Mental Energy, these parentheses will probably disappear, right?"

[That is correct.]

"So it’s just a beginner’s mark!" Ren Yuanyang pursed his lips. "Continue enhancing the potato!"

[Enhancement successful!]

[Potato (+4): Growth Speed enhanced four times, growth cycle reduced to 5 days...]

After he finished enhancing these few potato sprouts, Ren Yuanyang’s Mental Energy was depleted once again.

After a moment of thought, he planted the potatoes in the small pond inside the shipping container.

Returning to his bedside, Ren Yuanyang picked up his phone and glanced at the regional channel. The entire channel was filled with an air of despair.